Yarn-dyeing device



March 9 192,6.A 1,576,013

, G. T. THOMAYER YARN DYEINQ DEVICE Filed Feb. 2. 1925 Patented Mar. 9, 1.926.

UNITED STATES 1,576,013 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE T. THOMAYER, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY 'MESNE-ASSIGN- MENTS, T ECONOMY DYEING MACHINE CORPORATION, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

YARN-DYEING DEVICE.

AApplication led February 2, 1925. Serial No. 6,253.

To all whom t `may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE T. TnoiuAvnn, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Albany, county of Albany, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Yarn-Dyeing Devices, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to improvements in dyeing apparatus more especially to apparatus in-which a continuously passing yarn is permitted at successive intervals to remain in contact with a dye applying means. In the dyeingmechanism of the art, previous to my invention, the passing yarn has been passed in close contact with a rotating shaft or element used for giving the yarn which normally passes above the dye applying element the required movement.. towards and from the said dye appl f.

ing element for applying the dye to the yarn. When a yarn breaks, therefore, the loose end is liable to catch on the rotat- 2 ing element and quickly wind into a mass randomer shaft which involves considerable labor.

An object of my present invention is to .provide an intermittently or random dyeing apparatus for arn in which the use of rotating elements' 1n contact with the yarn is avoided.

Another object of the invention is to provide a yarn dyeing apparatus of the above type in which the threading of the yarn ends through eyelets is obviated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a yarn dyeing tank for apparatus of the above type in which av fresh, uniform supply of dye to the yarn is insured.

Further objects of the invention are, to provide a yarn dyeing apparatus yof the above type 1n which wicks for applying dye to the yarn are protected from deterioration and wear, to provide a wick arrangement in which the surface of the dye liquor is brought to within a short distance of the which is troublesome to remove as well as applying surface of the wick, and to provide a randoming means enabling the distance through vwhich the yarn may be lifted from the dye applying wick to be varied.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises the apparatus described and set forth in the following specification and claims.

The various features of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view of a dye tank and randoming apparatus embodying a preferred form of the invention,.and

Fig. 2 is a 'longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus of Fig; 1 drawn on a smaller scale and broken away.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of a -tensioning and guide element forming a part of the apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a yarn guide.

In my present invention, dye is supplied detail view of the open fingered to the passing yarn through a stationary wick over and in contact with the upper Surface of which the yarn is guided. The wick is mounted in a stationary tank through which a supply of dye liquor is circulated to fill the tank to a level immediately below rthe upper surface Aof the wick, the wick extending through an opening in the cover of the tank and ending at the upper surface of the cover and the dye` liquor filling the tank t0 thc under surface of the cover and thus but slightly below the upper surface of the wick. The dye tank is preferably mounted in an enclosing tank which receives the overflow of dye liquor from the wick holding tank. The yarn to be dyed is guided over the wick and in contact with the upper surface of the wick and is positively lifted out of contact with the wick at Successive intervals by a finger mounted on a rock shaft at one side of the tank and also thereby permitted to return into engaged contact with the wick at Successive intervals. The length of the dyed and undyed intervals may be varied by varying the speed of the yarn and the character of the dyeing may also be varied by varyin j panying drawings, dye applying wicks 10, of which only one is shown in the accompanying drawings, are mounted in a horizontal cylindrical tank 12 having openings 14 in its upper surface through which the wicks project, the upper surfaces of the wicks bein approximately level with the upper sur ace of the tank. The tank 12 is -continuously supplied with dye liquor through a supply pipe 16 at one end of the tank at a rate sufficient to fill the tank completely and then overflows through an overflow opening 18 at the opposite end of the tank. The height of the overfiow opening 18 and the rate of feed of the dye liquor are such as to maintain the tank filled to the under surface of the tank and the level of the liquor is thus maintained at a dista-nce from the upper surface of the wicks approximately equal to the thickness of the tank walls, which is preferably approximately one sixteenth of an inch. A constant fresh supply of dye liquor is thus maintained at the top of the Wick which insures a uniform, even, color for the dyed portions of the yarn.

The wick tank 12 is mounted by means 'of brackets 2O on the under surface of a cover 22 of anouter tank 24 in suchv position that the openlngs 14 coincide with openings 26 in the cover 22. The tank 24 receives the dye liquor overfiowing through'the opening 18 from the tank 12 and conveys it from the tank through an outlet pipe 28 and also serves t o support and mount the mechanism for guiding the yarn and lifting it from contact with the upper surface of the wick. The edges of the openings 26 also serve to protect the surfaces of the wicks 10 from ex- .cesslve wear through contact with the passing yarn.

A moving length of y'arn 30 to be dyed is guided in its movement in close contact with the upper surface of the wick- 10 between a pair of tensioning discs 32 and 34 at the side of the tank from which the yarn approaches and a guide 36 preferably of porcelain on the opposite side of the tank. The discs 32 and 34 are loosely or rotatably mounted on a rod or shaft 38 supported from the side of the tank 24 by means of a bracket 40. The disc 32 is held in fixed position by means of a suitable shoulder or stop 42 and the other disc 34 is pressed resiliently thereagainst by means of a spring 43 confined on the shaft 38 between the outer face of the disc 34 and a nut 44 on the end of the shaft. The spring 43 presses the disc 34 against the disc 32 with suflicient tension to hold the end Vof the yarn in case of breakage and thus prevent it from coming in Contact with any rotating elements and thus being Wound upon them.

The guide 36 is of the well known construction. It opens upwardly and has 4a pair of fingers 46 extending over the opening in offset positions to permit a thread to be threaded by merely being pressed downwardly into the opening of the eyelet between the fingers 46 and upon being released is then held in position by the interlapping fingers. To mount the yarn in properl position, therefore, it is only necessary to lay it in the proper position over the wick 10 and the guiding and tensioning elements and press it downwardly between the discs 32 and 34 on onefside of the tank and between the fingers 46 on the other side. The guide 36 is supported on the side of the tank 24 by means of a suitable bracket 48.

The tensioning discs 32 and 34 and the vguide 36 are so positioned that the passing yarn normallylies on the upper surface of the wick 10`and soaks up the dye liquor as it passes in contact therewith. To dye the yarn in an intermittent or random manner, it is lifted from its .normalposition of contact with the dyeing element and permitted to fall back into contact therewith at successive intervals by vmeans of a positively moving,

finger 48 mounted on a rock shaft 50 journaled in bearings 52 on the brackets 4() (one only being showni. As the shaft 50 is rocked in a direction to swing the finger 4 8 upwardly the yarn 30 is lifted out of contact with dye liquor on the wick 10 and upon rotating reversely to swing the finger 50 downwardly, permits the yarn to fall into contact withl the wick and to soak up the dye liquor until again lifted.

The shaft 50 may be given a suitable rocking movement' in any suitable manner. It is preferably driven from a short shaft 53 journaled in bearings 54 in a bracket 56 (one only being shown) mounted on, and projecting sidewise from, the lower portion of the tank 24 and having at one end a driving wheel 58 for receiving power from any suitable source. The rotatory movement of the wheel 58 and shaft 53 is transmitted from a pin 60 on the side of the wheel, which acts as a crank,\through a link rod 62 to a' crank arm A64 mounted on the rock shaft 50, the connection being such as to transmit a rocking movement to the arm 64.

The length of the dyed and undyed intervals may be varied by varying the speed of travel of the passing yarn, the intervals being longer as the speed of the yarn increases. The relativeV lengths of the dyed and undyed portions may also be varied by varying the amplitude of swinging of the rock shaft 50 and finger 48. For this pu ose, the distance of the connection of the link 62 to the arm 64 is made adjustable by providing a series of openings 66 at intervals in the arm 64, into any one of which the link 62 may beconnected by means of a pin68. The distance between the. connections of the arm 64 to the wheel pin 60 may also be varied by providing a number of spaced openings 70 at the lower end of the link. The effective length of the crank arm formed by the wheel 58 may also be varied by providingA a number of holes 72 in the wheel 58 at different distances from its axis for the. insertion of the T above invention, therefore, provides a.

dye applying means in which a uniform, fresh, supply of dye yis provided in position tobe absorbed by the passing yarn while avoiding rotating elements in a position wliere they might catch and wind up any loose ,ends of the yarn. The guiding elements are also so arranged tha-t the yarn may be easily and quickly placed in position for dyeing and is secure y caught in case it should become broken. y

It is, or course, to be understood that the dyeing mechanism above described is to be mounted upon a windin machine between the two reels of yarn, tie arn being continuously movingA in the rocking lever 48 1n passingfrom one roll to the other, as clearly shown in the patent to Kilbourn No. 619,893 granted February 21, 1899.

As changes of construction could be made" @within the scope of my invention, it is intended that al the matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustratrve and not in a `limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I irection of the- 1.v A device of the ty e described which comprises, a horizontal yeing tank havin an opening in its top wall, a wick in sai opening extending to the upper surfaceof said top wall, said tankbeing also provided with an inlet opening in` its top wall at one end, and with an overiow opening also in its top wall slightly below the inlet opening at the other end thereof, the said openings being so positioned with respect to each other as to maintain said tank subst-antially filled with dye liquor. v

2. Apparatus of the type described which comprises, an outer tank having a cover, an inner tank mounted on the under surface of said cover, said inner tank and said cover having coinciding openings, a wick extending from the interior of said inner tank to the upper surface of said openings, and means for supplying dye liquor to said inner tank, said inner tank having an overiiow opening in its upper portion.

3. `Apparatus of the type described'which comprises, a dye containing tank, a wick in said tank extending slightly above the level of dye liquor therein, means for supplying said tank with dye liquor, and means for maintaining said tank substantially filled with dye liquor. f

GEORGE T. THOMAYER. 

